Approved Minutes of May 28, 2025

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MINUTES-Draft ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH May 28, 2025 Dr. Jonnal asked about the status of any pending NC legislation on smartphones in schools, noting that this could be an opportunity for advocacy over the summer. Ms. Stewart said that the legislature has sent the decision to regulate phones in schools back down to the individual school districts, and that the Health Department connected with the Orange County Schools (OCS) and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) Systems around Screen-Free Week. Commissioner Fowler added that both districts do have phone policies, which are based on verbiage from other districts, but largely allow individual principals to set the rules for their own schools. Dr. Jonnal added that she generally hears from parents and young people that they like limits on screen use, and that people may respond favorably to someone else being "the bad guy" and putting limits on cell phone and screen use. Dr. Crandell commented that for future Screen-Free Weeks, it might be good to try to involve students in planning and developing Screen-Free Week materials, such as posters or banners. Access to Care Committee Dr. Royce provided an update for the Access to Care Committee. A practicum student from UNC Gillings, A Wheeler, has begun working on the Photovoice for the summer. Recruitment has begun for the project and the committee will meet to check in about the Photovoice project in early June. Additionally, Dr. Royce shared that Medicaid Expansion (MXP) enrollment numbers have leveled off, though the committee is not sure yet why this is. She added that the committee is also working to finalize a draft of a resolution on immigration enforcement's impact on healthcare and is gathering some additional data. Dr. Royce invited board members to share feedback about the presentation on the Access to Care Photovoice pilot with individuals who had been incarcerated that was given at the April meeting. Dr. Jonnal applauded the project and said that she felt it was especially powerful to hear directly from community members. Mr. Whitaker agreed, saying it was very compelling and authentic to hear directly from real people. In response to Dr. Crandell's suggestion about potentially sharing the audio recordings of the quotes (with participant permission) to increase the feeling of authenticity, Dr. Stuebe suggested that the quotes be re-recorded by actors (likely Health Department staff) after the fact to help provide a level of dramatization while still protecting participant privacy. Connections to Community Support Committee Dr. Stuebe provided the update for the Connections to Community Support Committee. She shared that the committee had engaged in a rich discussion about approaches to addressing affordable housing and increasing housing supply. In particular, the committee discussed a lack of municipal sewers in rural areas and a need for public education around shared/communal septic systems. Mr. Whitaker said that communal septic systems are typically more highly regulated than single-family systems and can provide better sewage treatment and maintenance but added that they work best on a larger scale. He recommended embracing these systems, but intentionally and thoughtfully. Dr. Stuebe added that this need for public education offers an opportunity for collaboration between Environmental Health Services and the Board of Health. The committee will hold a working meeting in late June to draft a resolution on public health approaches for land use and promoting affordable housing. In response to Dr. Stuebe's question about the status of the land use plan, Commissioner Fowler shared that consideration by the BOCC has been pushed back to allow time for more S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2025 Agenda and Abstracts/ May Page 3